R E J E C T S

CH.2: BOYFRIEND

"What should I call you?"

"Rob. That's what all of my friends call me."

"I meant in front of your mother."

"Oh. Um, call me whatever you like."

"I'll just stick with Rob then." Can't think of anything else.

"Uh, sorry about that. My mum can be pretty annoying if you know what I mean."

"Yeah. It's one of the reasons why I left home."

"You truly are a rebel. I like it. I could never dare to leave home though because I know that I won't survive out there on my own anyway."

"Okay, how about you start jotting down the terms, mama's boy?" I got straight to the point.

"Hey! I'm not a mama's boy but alright, let's get down to business. The Terms..." He started writing.

"No.1: Thou shall not commit adultery"

"What are we? Martyrs? This isn't the ten commandments." I glared at the guy.

"What do you suggest then?" He glared back.

"No Public Display of Affection."

"What? How do we convince other people that we're a couple without doing that? Especially my clique..." He asked.

"Let's just say that our relationship is... casual."

"You mean no strings attached?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, I guess I can work with that which brings us to the second term: No PDA with other boys for both of us because that'll just make us look bad. Trust me, nobody likes a cheater."

"Sure, whatever."

"Wait, can we modify the first term a bit? Let's just rephrase it to 'Only do PDA when it is absolutely necessary'. I just thought of the possible circumstances that might lead us to kiss."

"Yeah, yeah. Write this down, will you? No.3: Don't expect me to be friends with your friends... especially the cheerleaders." I added.

"Why not? I think you'll look great in a cheerleader's outfit." He teased which earned him another glare from me.

"Alright. I won't expect you to hang out with me and my friends or blend in with the popular crowd if that bothers you so much. The fourth term would be: Praise each other."

"You mean like give each other compliments all the time when there are people around? Wouldn't that make us seem fake? I mean, we can't NOT fight. That's what couples normally do." I told him my opinion.

"But I thought we were in love?" He pouted.

"You haven't tried being in a relationship, haven't you?" I arched an eyebrow.

"Uh... I dated a few girls during first and second year out of peer pressure, does that count?"

"No."

"So you've tried being in a relationship before?"

"Well yeah but it's nothing serious. Anyway, back to the main topic, the fourth term should just be: Mind your own business." I said.

"I don't get it." He grimaced.

"It's simple. I'll respect your own personal affairs and you'll respect mine." I elaborated.

"Fine but I'd like the fifth term to be: Look out for each other's backs."

"But doesn't that contradict the fourth term? We're not best friends you know." I sighed.

"So? I meant it in a professional way like when you hear someone gossip something about me then you'll do a full report. It can also be applicable to our love life like playing cupid. You see, looking out for each other's back is a very broad concept."

"I get that but now I have to change the fourth term..." I thought deeply about it.

"Whatever you like." He smiled.

"I change my mind then. Minding your own business is also a broad concept which is necessary for personal stuff that we both don't want to talk about so I think that it should still be one of the terms." I smiled back.

"Fine. All your terms are a total buzz kill." He rolled his eyes at my witty comeback.

"How about... the duration period? We should set a specific time as to when we call it quits."

"Right. Our contract should be valid until I graduate." He rubbed his chin.

"That's too long, don't you think?" About two years of pretending...

"Ooh! Or we can just stage our very own dramatic break up, the Hollywood style. In that way, we'll be the most unforgettable controversial yet beautiful couple by the end of the year." He said proudly.

"Whatever makes you happy, honey." I said with sarcasm.

"And to make things more interesting, we should pay a fine whenever we break one of the rules!" He stated with a lot of enthusiasm.

"You're really making it harder on my part, aren't you? But alright, I'll play. I am a risk-taker after all." And challenges excite me for some reason.

"Great! I think we should stop making the terms and conditions for now since it's getting late. We'll just add whatever that we'll think of along the way." He suggested.

"I can drive you home if you want." He offered.

"No thanks. I can manage on my own."

Just then, his cellphone rings.

"Hey dude, what's up?" He picks up the call.

"No way. As in tonight?! Are you serious? How did you guys even figure that we're... fine, we'll be there." He hangs up first.

"Can you believe those guys? They said that they're throwing us a party tonight. They assumed that we're seeing each other so I just admitted it right away. It's like a welcoming party especially for you really... for being my girlfriend. Now we have no choice but to go public with our relationship on such a short notice! Sucks, doesn't it?" He sighed out loud.

"Yeah, totally." I agreed.

I do like partying but... not this kind. I don't mix well with a bunch of popular teenagers who are mostly filthy rich.

"Looks like you won't be going home yet then..." He shot me an apologetic look.

"I kind of figured that one on my own."

"It won't take long, I promise. All we have to do is make an appearance and then you can go. I'll even help you sneak out in secret."

"Will there be cheerleaders?" I had to clarify.

"Uh-huh." He nodded.

"Then let's get it over with as quickly as possible."